This unique cuvee is respectfully composed of the three champenois grape varieties - Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Entirely vinified in oak, Sous Bois (under wood) totally masters the art of blending by renewing the ancestral spirit and savoir-faire of the original Champagnes. The nose contains defined aromatics of dry fruits and fresh citrus, coupled with finely buttered seductive notes that expresses the mature complexity linked to the vinification in oak barrels. The palate is bursting with flavours of grilled brioche, vanilla and toffee, complimenting the refreshing texture and exceptional finish.

The C + C Blanc de Blancs is blended from nine parcels across both north and south-facing hillsides in Cramant and Chouilly, including Les Robarts and Le Mont-Aigu. The oldest vines date back to 1951. The average depth of the soils of these parcels is marginally deeper than Oiry, with silty clay overlaying the chalk. In Suenen’s plots on Cramant’s eastern slope—Les Robarts, Les Basses Croix, Les Fourches du Nord, Les Vignes de Mardu—the soils measure one metre before the roots meet the chalk. In Chouilly, it’s closer to 60 cm. This extra depth, along with a good dose of southern exposure, makes for a more hedonistic wine. The blend is split between Cramant (70%) and Chouilly (30%). Although tempted to bottle each village separately, Suenen has found the two villages work even better as a blend; the textural finesse of Cramant marries perfectly to the more layered personality of Chouilly. Again, the wine aged on lees for nine months in enamelled tank (50%) and in used Burgundy oak barrels and demi-muid. It then aged for 30 months in bottle with no fining, no filtration and no cold stabilisation.

Disg. Sep 23. First released in 1998, long before the concept of single-vineyard Champagnes became popular, this Blanc de Blancs was historically labelled Vieille Vigne de Cramant. Little has changed, save for the name, which is now inspired by 1960-planted Bourron du Levant, the vineyard from which most of the grapes come. The balance comes from a 0.5-hectare holding in the neighbouring terroir Le Fond du Bâteau (with 85-year-old vines). Both plots are at the heart of Cramant’s southeast-facing slopes on the flanks of the Butte de Saran. Basking in the first rays of the morning sun, these vineyards give wonderfully ripe, layered wines. The old vines’ deep root system combines with the terroir to bring a wine of glowing density and opulence. It offers a fascinating, concentrated and stone-fruited contrast to the other Larmandier cuvées (not to mention other producers’ Cramant wines). It remains a super-mineral wine, but you have more flesh, weight and body here. The winemaking is similar across each of Larmandier’s single-terroir wines. Here, it is spontaneous fermentation and malolactic fermentation, 12 months in large Stockinger barrels and no filtration. This cuvée, however, spends at least eight years in bottle on lees. The 2014 was disgorged with 2 g/L dosage.

Disg. Apr 2024. Les Chemins d’Avize debuted in 2009. For this cuvée, the Larmandier family vinifies fruit from two tiny plots in the heart of Avize (Chemin de Plivot, planted in 1955, and Chemin de Flavigny, planted in 1960). Both are chalky parcels with very little topsoil and lie on the lower slopes of Avize, not far from Agrapart and Selosse’s La Fosse vineyard. “Initially, it was really tough for the vines to grow here, the soil is so hard,” Arthur Larmandier told us. “Now, they make really, really great wines.” The winemaking is similar to the other cuvées, save for the use of smaller, neutral barrels due to the smaller quantities of wine produced. The wines age in bottle for a minimum of five years and are then disgorged by hand with only 2 g/L dosage. It’s a stunning, racy example of Avize, a little deeper than Terre de Vertus, though more delicate and less fleshy than this grower’s Vieille Vigne du Levant.

The 2018 Marc Hébrart Rive Gauche-Rive Droite Grand Cru Millésime offers a balanced blend of equal parts Pinot Noir from Aÿ and Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs. This Extra Brut Champagne, with a dosage of 3 grams per liter, was disgorged in preparation for long-term aging and refinement. More complex and spicier than its 2016 counterpart, this vintage reveals aromas of spices, toast, baked bread, white flowers, and spring blossoms. Medium to full-bodied, it is dense and rich, with a delicately layered fruit core. The palate is well-balanced, concluding with bright acidity and a refined, pinpoint mousse. This 2018 vintage underscores Hébrart’s meticulous approach, offering a Champagne that pairs structure with elegance and the ability to develop further with time. Drinking Window: 2024–2044.

The Selection Brut 1er Cru from Marc Hébrart is fresh and mineral, which excites the tastebuds with its brilliantly acidulous notes. The perfect cocktail champagne. The Marc Hébrart Sélection Brut 1er Cru is made from 70% Pinot Noir from the terroir of Mareuil-sur-Aÿ and Avenay and 30% Chardonnay from the Grand Cru classified terroirs of Bisseuil and Mareuil-sur-Aÿ. For a number of years now Marc Hébrart has applied reasoned viticultural practices to his vines, and makes his wines in small batches in order to preserve the personality of each parcel and each separate terroir. Reviews: 14.5 / 20 Gault & Millau 16.5 / 20 Jancis Robinson 92 / 100 Parker 83 / 100 Richard Juhlin 91 / 100 Wine Spectator 91 / 100 Vinous

Base 2021, Disg. April 2024. Latitude is 100% Côte des Blancs Chardonnay from vineyards on the southern side of Vertus. These vineyards are on roughly the same latitude, hence the name, which also hints at the breadth of texture that wines from these sites—having more clay in the soil—tend to offer. In the cellar, Larmandier uses mostly large casks (almost all the wood now comes from Stockinger in Austria). Fermentation and malolactic fermentation take place naturally, and there is no filtration. Latitude matures in bottle for more than two years before disgorgement and dosage at low, extra-brut levels (in this case, 3 g/L) at least six months before release. This bottling is based on the 2021 vintage, with 40% reserve wine drawn from a ‘perpetual’ reserve started in 2004. Upcoming releases will include fruit from some terrific vineyards in Villeneuve and Bergères, which will only further buttress the quality.

Dom Pérignon is the most famous Champagne in the world, and for good reason. The bouquet sparkles with delicate fresh violets in a setting of white peaches. The soft delicate flavours continue while the senses are tickled by the most delicate of fine bubbles. Though this is such a fine delicate wine, the complexity is astounding, along with its length. Stunning.